Mucosal surfaces (such as the oral cavity, eye, gastrointestinal, urogenital, and respiratory tracts) by design interface with potentially noxious environments. Protection against pathologic consequences of this direct environmental encounter is highly dependent on the exocrine secretions that bathe these exposed surfaces. These secretions provide the first line of defense against a variety of insults by providing physical barriers, mechanical clearance, and targeted pathogen neutralization without bystander damage of host tissues and consequent loss of function. To this end, these secretions deliver a variety of soluble factors including macromolecules, low molecular weight molecules and ions that work synergistically to maintain a healthy homeostasis by limiting host tissue exposure to pathogens and minimizing the host destructive consequences of inappropriate inflammatory responses and associated oxidative and nitrosative stresses.
For example, chronic lung and airway diseases are often characterized by a loss of homeostatic balance resulting in refractory infections and an organ-destructive host inflammatory response to exogenous stimuli. Pharmacologic doses of hormones such as glucocorticoids, other immunosuppressant therapies and antibiotics can provide some clinical relief, but are often inadequate. Alternatively, genetic information identifying specific protein dysfunction in disease suggests other therapeutic approaches for heritable diseases such as gene therapy for cystic fibrosis (CF). However, a need still exists for more adequate and effective treatment of such disorders.
The present invention overcomes previous shortcomings in the art by providing pharmaceutical compositions comprising glutathione, ascorbate and bicarbonate with or without thiocyanate and methods of use thereof to treat diseases and disorders in mucosal/epithelial tissue.